DRYDEN – November 8, 2026
A shortage of school bus drivers cancelled multiple routes in the Kenora and Red Lake areas on every school day from November 2 through November 6, continuing a pattern of disruptions that has run through much of October.
The Northwestern Ontario Student Services Consortium’s final Friday update listed three cancelled buses: KN60, KN15 and KN96. Earlier in the week the consortium reported cancellations affecting KN97 on Monday, KN96 on Tuesday, KN90 on Wednesday, and RL5, KN13 and KN27 on Thursday. Some route numbers appeared more than once. Each notice identified a driver shortage as the cause.
The updates do not state how many students or schools were affected, whether alternative transportation was arranged, or when the routes are expected to return to regular service. The consortium’s public alert archive shows similar driver-related cancellations or substantial delays on multiple days in October, including routes serving Kenora, Red Lake and Dryden-designated areas.
Operators are currently recruiting drivers in Sioux Lookout, Dryden, Red Lake and Kenora. The shortage is not limited to one community. Routes spanning the western part of the region have been the most frequently listed. In areas where distances between home and school are long and winter conditions can arrive early, the absence of a bus on a given morning forces families to make other arrangements or keep children home.
School boards in the region have previously noted that rural routes are harder to staff because of early start times, long driving distances and the limited pool of people who hold the required licence and are available for the hours. The consortium posts daily cancellation notices, but those notices have not included projections for when full service will resume.
Parents and guardians who rely on the listed routes have had to monitor the consortium’s updates each evening. A cancellation issued late the night before leaves little time to arrange rides or notify workplaces. In some cases the same route has been cancelled on consecutive days, turning a one-day disruption into a week-long gap.
The October pattern and the full week of November cancellations indicate the shortage is not a single-day staffing problem. Recruitment postings remain active in the four communities, but the consortium has not published a timeline for when additional drivers are expected to be trained and assigned. Until those positions are filled, further cancellations remain possible on the same routes.
Families in the Kenora and Red Lake areas have now seen repeated notices through the first week of November. The consortium continues to post updates as routes are cancelled. No broader statement on the size of the current driver shortfall or on plans to stabilize service has been released beyond the daily alerts.
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